Vindico Nos
by elfprincess8
Summary: An accident leaves Jacob an orphan. He is rescued by the Volturi and raised to be one of them. He has exceptional powers they dont' understand. He meets the Cullens and is charmed by Edward, but will a scheming Bella ruin their chance at happiness?
1. Chapter 1

Vindico Nos

Chapter One

The Orphan

_10 Years Ago, La-Push Reservation_

It is the dead of winter. It is night. Deep snow blankets the dense forest on either side of the dark deserted road. A sharp, freezing wind howls among the empty claw-like limbs of the trees and makes them dump their loads of snow into deep drifts along the silent roadway.

Into this desolation comes a small Quileute family of three, safe and warm inside their late model pick-up. They have just come from an elementary school Christmas Program. The little boy is six years old. He is in the first grade at the reservation school. He played an elf in the program. His mother made his costume. He sits in the seat behind his father. His mother looks back at him and smiles. She tells him she is proud of him. That sentiment is echoed by his father.

The father is distracted. He turns to speak to his son. He does not see the car approaching them from an intersecting road. He has the right of way. The approaching car however, does not stop. The driver is intoxicated. He is listening to death metal. He does not see the family in their pick-up truck. He plows into the passenger side of the truck and pushes it off the road. The truck tumbles down the embankment.

The little boy is thrown into the front seat. He is face down in the floor board of the passenger side. He can hear his father coughing. There is a smell of smoke. He clambers up into the seat between his parents.

His mother's head is twisted sideways at a strange angle. Her eyes are open, but she doesn't answer him when he calls for her. His father grabs him by the arm and pulls him across the seat and away from his mother. He tells the little boy not to look at his mother. He uses his elbow to break out the driver's side window. He tells the little boy that he must climb out the window and go up to the road. He explains that his legs are trapped under the steering column and he cannot get out. He lifts the little boy and pushes him through the window. The little boy drops into the snow beside the truck.

He turns to look up at his father. The cab of the truck is fast filling with smoke. The engine is on fire. The little boy's father shouts through the window at his son, telling him to run. Run and don't look back, no matter what happens. Don't look back. The little boy climbs up the embankment. There is no sign of the car that hit them. The driver left the scene quickly. He didn't wait to see if there was anyone hurt. He could care less.

The little boy stands beside the road in the dark, in the cold. He looks up and down. He is alone. He doesn't know what to do. He turns to go back to the truck, back to his parents. He will ask his father. He never gets the chance. As he looks down the embankment at the truck, it explodes into flames.

The little boy screams. He drops to his knees in the snow on the side of the road. His tiny face streaked with tears. Those tears freeze as the icy wind whips against him. His little body is racked with sobs of despair. How will he get home? Who will care for him?

The darkness is pierced by a set of headlights. The little boy watches as a long, black limousine pulls up beside him. The driver gets out and speaks to him. The man is telling him that everything will be all right. Three men climb out of the back of the car. One of them approaches him through the blinding snow and lifts him from the ground. The man looks deep into the little boy's eyes. He is surprised by what he sees there. He turns to the other two men and speaks in a language the little boy cannot understand. Then he turns back to the little boy.

"Do not be afraid. My name is Aro. This is Caius and Marcus. We will care for you now. We will be your fathers. You will be our son, and you will never know death, pain, or sadness again. We will not allow it."

The man puts the little boy into the limousine. The car drives off along the lonely empty road. It is night. It is the dead of winter. The blazing pick- up truck illuminates the darkness of the forest. It is the only reminder of the happiness of a little family cut short forever by a careless mistake.


	2. Chapter 2

Vindico Nos

Chapter Two

Enter the Wolf

Voltera, Italy, an ancient city perched on the rocky, Amalfia Coast. It is a sleepy afternoon in late summer. The drone of honey bees from the nearby orchard is the only sound. The cities inhabitants are taking their siesta.

A young man stands alone in the tower of the old castle. He looks over the sleepy city and sighs. This place of ancient brick and terra cotta is the only home he knows, the only home he can remember. He understands that he was not born here, that he is different from those he lives with. The Cold Ones have always been kind to him. They have loved him in their own way. But he knows he is not one of them.

He turns and makes his way down the many steps, back to street level, and further down still, into the bowels of the castle, the silent world that is his. Bare feet pad along the marble halls, the only thing that breaks the silence. The sound of his breathing echoes in the empty corridors. All is quiet in the halls of the dead. For that is what this place is. His is the only beating heart within.

He is soon to be sixteen. He does not understand the implications this birthday will bring, the changes that will take place within him. He is a quiet boy, obedient. He tries to please his fathers. They are happy with him. He is intelligent and learns quickly all they have to teach him. But lately, he has become volatile. His moods change so rapidly, he does not know why he feels this way.

His fathers, their companions, they are so different from him. He knows this. They have always been loving to him. Why does he suddenly feel that they are his enemy? Why does he want to destroy them? Why does he find the things they do to survive so repulsive, when it has been their way of life from the beginning?

They must kill to survive. He understands this, but it has become difficult. As he grew, he realized that it was his kind they killed. He has always been curious about his kind, but his fathers will not allow him to have any contact with humans. They tell him that he is not human, he is something else. They say that he is a hybrid, formed out of the ancient past, and carrying genetics that are passed down from father to son, a trait that was developed to protect and defend. But defend from what? He knows.

He understands that his revulsion to the very ones who have protected and loved him comes from his past. He fights these urges, but he does not know how long he will be able to do so. He has no memory of his beginning. All he knows is Voltera. All he has are the Volturi. He is one of them. He will be a guardian. It is his destiny.

A hybrid human, like no other, alone in the world, are there others? He wonders this as he makes his way toward the throne room where his fathers wait for him. All the strange powers he has, do others have them too? He has only to come into physical contact with an immortal, and whatever gift that one possesses, becomes his. He can read minds with no effort. He can regenerate his body if it is injured. He is stronger, and faster than even some of the Cold Ones. His fathers have tried to prevent him from absorbing any further powers. They fear that he will become too strong for them to control.

He has hidden his ability to heal from them. He uses it only when they are not with him. He can cloak his mind from them when he tries, but it is very difficult and exhausting. He doesn't want them to know that he can save lives. Theirs is not the business of saving lives.

He enters the throne room and approaches the raised dias upon which sit the three thrones of the Volturi. They are ancient his fathers. They have ruled here for countless years. Their word is absolute. He bows to them and takes a seat on the lowest step. Aro rises to approach him.

"Our son, we are glad you have joined us. We summoned you because we have news to tell. You are growing up so quickly. You have approached a mile stone in your life, and soon you will begin to change. We cannot stop the changes, but we want you to understand them. You know you are different from others. But you do not know all. Caius will explain everything to you. Your kind are a study for him."

Caius rose and reached down to the young man.

"Come with me Jacob. I will tell you everything you need to know. I will help you understand what is happening to you. It will not be easy for you, but you are strong enough. You'll do well."

They walk together. Caius keeps his iron strong hand on Jacob's shoulder. Jacob feels the cold of that hand. He does not draw away. Caius is his friend. Caius will help him understand. They go to the study. Caius gestures for Jacob to sit, and then takes a chair opposite the young man.

"Jacob, I know you don't remember your past, and that is our doing, but we felt that we should shield you from things that were painful. It was our desire that you grow up completely innocent and without regret. We have tried to make that possible. I hope that you can forgive us for what we did. When we found you and brought you here, we had Alexandru of the guard to erase your memories. As you know, that is his powerful gift. We have kept you apart from him for that reason. We did not want you to get that power. It would be too easy to misuse. Aro and Marcus feel that it is time for you to know who you are now. The change is coming upon you like a whirlwind. I can feel your anger at times. It bites like a cobra at us. You feel it, I know you do. This is natural. Don't be afraid of your rage. It is part of the change. Used properly it will make you strong."

Caius paused and turned to walk over to the window. He opened the shutters and the afternoon sunlight flooded the room and set his porcelain skin to glittering in a thousand faucets of light as the wind stirred his blonde hair about his cherubic face. Jacob stirred uneasily in his chair. He could feel the enormous weight of what Caius was about to tell him, and it made him anxious.

"Jacob, you are of the Quileute people. Their males have the power to shape shift into great wolves. When the young boys become of age, their bodies begin to develop rapidly, as yours has, much faster than normal humans. You know you are physically powerful, faster than others like you. When your rage takes you, the change will occur, then you will be deadly. As a great wolf, you will be more powerful than we are. Our kind cannot stand against your kind. Not even the Volturi. Your anger could mean death to us."

"But father, I would never kill you or the others. You are the only family I have!" Jacob protested.

"Jacob, it is in your nature to kill. Your people fight the Cold Ones. It is what they are bred from birth to do." Caius answered.

"Then why in hell did you bring me here?" Jacob cried. "Did you mean for me to destroy my own family? Can I not control this at all? Can it not be stopped? Surely Marcus…." He began.

"Yes, Marcus is a brilliant physician, but even he cannot stop this change in you. Heaven knows we have tried. It is too strong. We are powerless to prevent it. But you can control it Jacob. You will have to try. We do not want to lose our son. We do love you." Caius crossed the room and took Jacob's face in his icy hands. He leaned over and kissed the boy's forehead.

"It will happen soon Jacob. You must be ready when it does. Do not let it frighten you. Such incredible power should be celebrated and enjoyed. I will try to help you as much as I can. We all will. In the mean- time, try not to worry so much. Your birthday is coming soon. Aro has planned a grand celebration and has invited friends from near and far to celebrate your coming of age. It is a time to be happy. Our son is fast becoming a man. We are proud of you and all you have accomplished." Caius rose and beaconed for the boy to follow him.

"Come Jacob. Let us go to the others. Heidi will be back soon, and I do not want to miss that. I am thirsty, and being this close to your blood is not safe for me."

They walked together down the silent halls. Jacob was in turmoil. A wolf! He was to become a giant wolf with a heart that desired death for his family. How could Caius think that everything would be all right?

He stood out in the hall, and would not enter the throne room. He refused to watch the spectacle of death that was taking place within. Hapless tourists, lead here to their doom by Heidi. She walked the group brazenly past him and through the wide doors, doors that slammed ominously behind them. Jacob covered his ears and closed his eyes tightly. Death for his kind. But they were no more his kind than the Cold Ones.

He was alone. He had always been alone.


	3. Chapter 3

Vindico Nos

Chapter Three

Revelations

Seattle Washington, late autumn, dark, cold and rainy, not a fit day for travel. None the less, a family of seven prepares to board a luxury jet liner bound for Italy. Their destination is an ancient city, the home to the rulers of their race. They have been summoned, and such a call cannot be ignored. This family, or coven if you will, has been invited to attend a celebration. They do not know the nature of the celebration. It will prove to be an astounding shock to them all.

Midnight over the Atlantic, the Amalfia Coast comes into view; the coven of seven has nearly arrived at their destination. Within a few short miles, they will be in Voltera. Edward, the youngest, only seventeen when he was brought across, feels great apprehension. The Volturi have always been a distant, but ominous threat in his mind. Any vampire they mark for death is finished. He hopes this business will be over quickly and he can return home. He doesn't believe there is any hope for pleasure on this trip. He will soon discover that he is badly mistaken.

_Within the halls of Voltera Castle_

Jacob stands before the old mirror and inspects his appearance. Caius had brought him his clothes for this evening, and helped him dress. It was important to his fathers that he look his best, and he did. Caius chose for him a black Armani dress shirt and black pants with a black leather belt. Of course his shoes had to be designer and black as well. He reached for the tailored matching suit jacket and slipped it on, silently wondering why he was always made to wear only black. His father's thought it fitting for him. He didn't pretend to understand the reason.

He wonders if the guests that have been invited to his coming of age celebration will think him attractive. Short, spikey jet black hair, sharply chiseled jaw line, high cheek bones, deep set dark brown eyes, skin the color of caramel, long lashes, a muscular build that would set the Paris catwalks on fire, or so Heidi always told him. He heaves a heavy sigh. He hopes the party will end quickly. He hates to be the center of attention.

He jumps when the door to his rooms is suddenly thrown open. He turns to see who the intruder is, and is greeted with a smile by the handsome, young Alec. Alec was only sixteen when he became a vampire, changed by his twin sister Jane, who was changed in turn by Aro for her abilities. Both twins were psychic and had astounding powers as humans, as vampires they were deadly.

"So Jake, are you ready for your moment in the spotlight?" Alec asks as he flops down into an armchair by the door.

"No." Jacob answers hesitantly as he turns back to the mirror. "I wish it was over. I don't want everyone to be looking at me. It makes me self-conscious."

"Oh for God's sake!" Alec shouted. "Don't be so dramatic! What in hell do you have to be self-conscious about? You're one of the best looking guys I know. Everyone around here has been dying to sink their teeth into you for years!"

Jake blushed and turned away, walking toward the open window that looked out over the rugged but beautiful coast line. He listened to the hypnotizing sound of the waves crashing against the shore, and remembered what it had felt like to run, in wolf form, along the rocky beach. Such all-encompassing freedom he had never known. He feared he would lose that feeling, and that thought drove him mad.

"Come on pretty boy" Alec teased. It's time to make your debut!"

Alec rose and reached back for Jake, taking his arm and leading him out of the room. Jacob's heart began to race, and he broke out in a nervous sweat. He feared he would faint when the moment came to step before the crowd. His knees were weak, his legs shaking. Focus, one step at a time, he knew he had only to get through the awful moment of introduction, and then he could just melt into the scenery, be forgotten. He was quite wrong of course.

The family of seven, led by Dr. Carlisle Cullen, have arrived at Castle Voltera. Cars lined the drive and vampires, both strangers, and individuals well known to the Cullen's were making their way into the imposing fortress. Dr. Cullen takes the hand of his lovely wife Esme and helps her along the way. They are followed in turn by Emmett and Rosalie, and behind them, Jasper and Alice. Bringing up the rear and with no companion to accompany him is Edward.

The Cullen's make their way down the many winding, twisting steps into the bowels of the castle where their hosts await. Throngs of vampires stand in groups of three or more about the vast and echoing throne room. Although the others in his family have been here before, it is Edwards first time in Voltera. He is overwhelmed.

The place is heavy with the weight of years and has an oppressive feeling. He cannot imagine living in this vast marble fortress. As he is contemplating the meaning behind the Latin phrases engraved above the marble arch of the doorway, his thoughts are interrupted by a call for silence from the front of the room.

Edward turns to see three tall pale men enter. He watches in silent fascination as all heads bow to show proper reverence to these men, their feared leaders. He bows his head as well. He cannot hear the thoughts of these men, although he can read minds, these vampires are far stronger than him, and are very ancient. They guard their thoughts well against the tricks of a simple mind reader.

Carlisle leans over and whispers to Edward. "The tallest one with the long dark hair is Aro. His gifts are similar to yours, he is their leader. Whatever you do, be respectful to him. He can be very condescending. The bored looking older fellow is Marcus. He is a physician like me. I learned much from him before he grew tired of existence. The little blonde, who looks both young and fierce, is Caius. He has very little patience for anyone. Don't attempt to engage him in conversation. Aro will most likely want to meet you, as he doesn't know you. He will want to size you up. Don't fear him, but don't trust him either. Everything he does is for his own motives."

Edward nodded his understanding, and turned back to face the raised thrones. Each of the three men took a throne with Aro in the center. The room became so quiet that one could have heard a pin drop. Aro began to speak.

"Friends, you have all answered the summons to come and celebrate with us. We are so glad that you have joined us here tonight. As some of you know, we have an adopted son, an unfortunate orphan boy who we rescued ten years ago. He is growing up quickly, and tonight he will be sixteen. What a banner year that is for a young man! We have decided to give him this special party as a means of showing our appreciation for his dedication to study, and his willingness to learn and be a good boy. We are most proud of him. Please join us in welcoming our son."

Aro gestured toward the left. As the crowd turned to look, Edward was completely astonished to see a young man emerging from the shadowy alcove behind the thrones. He was tall, dark skinned, clearly anxious, and most startling of all, human! Not only that, but it was obvious, not only to Edward, but the entire Cullen clan, that this boy was a Quileute! The Cullen's lived only a few miles from La Push Reservation, and although the Quileute's were enemies of the Cold Ones, the Cullen's had made a treaty with the tribe to maintain a kind of strained peace with them.

"Dear God!" Esme gasped. "Oh Carlisle, do you think they mean to make sport of that poor child? Oh, I can't bear to watch this!" She covered her face with her hands. Carlisle put his arm around her and hushed her.

"Be silent! Don't draw attention to us! I don't believe that is what they mean to do. Look at their faces. They are smiling at him. I think they really do treat him as if he is their son."

Edward scrutinized the faces of the three Volturi leaders. They were shining with pride at the sight of their "son" standing on the top step before them. The boy, for his part, was practically paralyzed with fear. Edward could read his thoughts as effortlessly as if he was speaking them aloud. The boy wanted to run. He wasn't afraid of the many vampires; he was just uncomfortable with all the eyes in the room on him. Edward understood that feeling, and wished he could do something to make things easier for this boy.

"Carlisle, what are they doing with him?" Asked Emmett. "Why do they have a Quileute boy?"

Carlisle was thoughtful for a moment, and then he turned and gathered his family in a circle around him.

"I think I have the answer to this riddle. Aro said they found this boy ten years ago. Do all of you remember when Aro, Caius, and Marcus came to visit with us? It was about ten years ago. Do you also remember the terrible accident that occurred the night they left? A Quileute family was killed in a fiery crash on the road a few miles outside of the reservation. Their little boy was not found at the scene, and was presumed to have wandered off into the woods and frozen to death. Do you suppose…"

The Cullen's all turned to look at the boy standing before them. Edward tried to invade the boy's mind once more to see if he could pick up any hint of what Carlisle had just described, but nothing. There were only memories of Voltera, of his life with the Volturi. It was as if his memories before age six were simply gone.

"Do you think they caused the accident so they could take the kid?" Jasper asked.

"I don't know. But for the love of heaven, don't let that thought be in your minds when Aro greets you." Carlisle answered.

Edward moved away from his family and toward the front of the room. His curiosity about the boy was pulling him. He couldn't resist it. As he drew closer, he noticed a strange scent. It was familiar. He could remember smelling it before. It was like the forest back home, mixed with an almost animal smell, but clean, not unpleasant.

So this boy was a shape shifter. That made perfect sense. Aro would have found it in the mind of the little boy. He would have been able to see the future, known what he had. Of course they had caused the accident. Aro wanted to take the child so he could study his mortal enemy up close and in perfect safety. When he was done with this boy, he would most likely have him killed.

Edward was furious. Although he had no love for the Quileute's, he couldn't stomach the monstrous thing he believed the Volturi had done. He silently wondered if Esme was right, and they were planning this unfortunate boy's execution. Maybe they were going to turn all the vampires in the room loose to tear him apart. The boy was already scared. Oh this was unbearable!

Esme and Carlisle had passed Edward and were climbing the steps to pay homage to their leaders. Edward stood frozen to the spot and watched as they talked with Aro and Marcus. Caius was standing near the Quileute boy with his hand on the boy's shoulder. Perhaps Carlisle was right, and they really did care for the boy. It just didn't seem possible.

Esme was gesturing rapidly, and speaking in a hushed voice to Marcus. Carlisle stood with his back to Edward, engaged in conversation with Aro. Both of them ignored him. Edward wanted to talk to the boy. He would not be satisfied until he had a chance to get into the boy's mind and see for himself, just what kind of life the Volturi had given him.

Edward knew that he had only to walk a few short feet, and he would be face to face with the tall, dark-skinned stranger. He forced his lead feet to cover the distance, and bowing to Caius, he extended his hand to the boy.

"Hello, I wanted to introduce myself. I'm Edward Cullen."

The boy swallowed hard, looked to Caius as if for approval, and then reached out and took Edward's hand in his. His grip was strong and although his hand was shaking slightly, he seemed to be less anxious than before. Edward smiled at the boy and then turned to Caius.

"So, you are Carlisle's newest addition are you? I don't believe you were with him when we last visited." Caius stated.

"No my lord, I was out of the country at the time."

"Curious that Carlisle failed to mention that. Ah well, we do so much to protect the things that are precious to us don't we." Caius asked as he looked deep into Edward's eyes.

Edward stood his ground unflinchingly and endured the glare. He refused to be intimidated. After a moment, Caius seemed to relax somewhat. He must have decided that Edward was safe, as he shrugged his shoulders, and walked away to join the others, leaving Edward alone with the boy.

Edward cleared his throat. "So what's your name?" He asked the nervous boy.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It's Jacob, Jacob Black. It's nice to meet you."

Jacob, so that was his name. Again, it made sense. Most of the Quileute boys all had biblical names. It must have been some kind of tradition. Edward couldn't help but notice the way the light played in the boy's dark eyes and shimmered through his jet black hair.

He could smell the salt of Jacob's flesh and his pumping blood, the scent coming from him like incense, like the heat and smoke of flames rising. He was afraid to breathe, but vampires do breathe, and they taste, and they smell, and they feel, and they thirst. Edward was thirsty.

"I'd better get back to my family." Edward said, struggling not to pounce on this poor boy.

"It was nice meeting you." Jacob replied.

As he walked back toward his siblings, he couldn't help but notice that Jacob seemed to be disappointed that he was leaving. Maybe he could get his thirst under control enough to be close to Jacob later. It would be nice having someone to talk to him, someone close to his human age.

The rest of the evening passed like a mindless torture for Edward. He sensed that Jacob was in misery too, although he tried to hide it as best he could. Edward had been forced to meet Aro, and was shocked to learn that he had been wrong. The Volturi had merely chanced upon the scene of the accident, and happened to find little Jacob sobbing by the road side. Of course Aro had looked into the child's mind and discovered what he was. They had taken to the little boy almost immediately. Jacob was apparently easy to love.

After some time, the vampires in attendance began to slip quietly away into the night to hunt. Edward was no exception. He made his excuses to his hosts, and followed his brothers out into the darkness. Most of the vampires were going some distance away from Voltera at the request of the Volturi. They didn't want the peace of their town disturbed.

Edward drifted away from Emmett and Jasper and headed down to the beach. He wasn't sure what game he would find there, but he needed to be alone. He picked up on the scent of small animal wondering about in the tall grass and pounced upon the unsuspecting creature. It was just a rabbit. No more than a snack, but it would still his craving for now.

Lulled by the sound of the ocean, he cast aside the drained carcass, and made his way down to the shore. He slipped off his shoes, rolled up his pants and waded out into the water. He had to admit it was nice here. Just as he was considering turning back to the castle, he was startled by the sound of a voice directly behind him.

"Yeah, it is nice here. I like to come down here after dark when I want to be alone."

Jacob. Edward wondered how it was that he didn't sense Jacob's presence before the boy was upon him, but he didn't have to wonder for long. Jacob's mind opened to him in that moment, like the petals of a flower opening up for the sun. He hadn't even been aware of it, but Jacob could apparently shield his mind from intrusion.

Edward saw in the expanse of only a few moments, what Jacob's life had been like in Voltera. The boy held nothing back. He was open like a book, and Edward was reading his story. Jacob was very powerful. When he touched another immortal, he could absorb that immortal's powers, whatever that power might be. He could of course shape shift, he was faster, stronger, and could even heal. Oh he was so strong! Edward was almost afraid. He sensed that the Volturi were also beginning to be just a little bit afraid of their adopted "son".

"I don't belong here!" Jacob declared miserably. "I must confess, I read your mind, and I know you know who I am. I wish you'd tell me. I promise to keep it sealed up in my head. I won't let them find out. Please, you've got to tell me, are there others like me?"

Edward sank down on the sand and took in a ragged breath. He knew if the Volturi were to find out that he had told Jacob what he knew about the Quileute people, his life would be forfeit. Yet he couldn't keep it back. He opened himself to Jacob in the same way Jacob had done for him, and let the knowledge drift from his mind to Jacob's.

Edward watched in silence as Jacob, kneeling beside him on the sand, tried to digest all that he had just learned. He saw the spasm of pain passing over the boy's face.

"They erased my thoughts! Caius told me they did. I just didn't know why. Now I understand. They would have wanted to keep me from going back. How odd that they invited your family, knowing there was a chance I'd get into one of your heads. Maybe they wanted me to find out."

"Maybe they did." Edward agreed. "It doesn't matter now. You know who you are. I showed you everything I know about your people. If you want to find out about your parents, I could go back and research it for you."

"Or I could just go back with you." Jacob offered.

Edward turned to look into Jacobs dark eyes, illuminated by the bright moonlight reflected off the surface of the water.

"You make me thirsty." Edward confessed.

"I do? I'm sorry. I mean, I wasn't trying to be appetizing." Jacob laughed.

"Good grief! It's not like you're putting yourself out there on a roasting spit, waiting for me to devour you!" Edward joked.

Jacob lowered his head, and looked up seductively at Edward through his long lashes. "Do you want to devour me?" He asked innocently.

"Yes!" Edward growled, turning to grab Jacob's arms, and pushing him down onto his back in the sand.

Jacob thrust his hips up against Edward, grinding against the hardness he could easily feel through Edwards thin dress pants.

"Is it just my blood you want? Or are you after something else?" Jacob asked.

Edward was bracing himself up with his arms, his clenched fists in the sand on either side of Jacob's head. He began to grind that hardness right back against Jacob and leaned down to breathe in the rich scent of Jacob's potent blood.

"Go ahead, drink. My body will neutralize the venom. I won't be harmed." Jacob offered.

"But how is that possible?" Edward asked.

"I don't know for sure, but it is. Caius drinks from me all the time."

Edward felt a momentary spasm of jealousy as the mention of Caius drinking from Jacob. He wanted to possess the beautiful boy lying under him in the sand. He didn't want to share.

"Are you sure?" Edward asked. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Don't worry, it doesn't hurt me." Jacob replied. "I get off on it!"

Edward needed no further coaxing. He lowered his mouth to Jacob's tempting throat, and sank his teeth into the silky skin.

Jacob moaned in pleasure and grasped Edward's hips, pulling Edward down against him as the bite deepened, and the intoxicating blood began to flow. Edward could feel Jacob's racing heart fighting him as he pulled against it. He couldn't believe Jacob was enjoying this, although maybe with his strange DNA, the venom was like a drug to him, and wasn't painful. It certainly seemed that way.

As Edward broke the bite and came up for air, he gasped in shock when he found himself thrown suddenly off. He landed on his back in the sand, and received the full weight of Jacob's massive body against him. He was effectively pinned down.

"So I gave you what you needed. Now give me what I want!" Jacob demanded.

Edward was too drunk from Jacob's blood to resist. He lay there like a dead thing as Jake tore at his clothes. In moments he was lying naked on the sand. He felt Jacob's weight lowered down onto him again, and was instantly aware that he wasn't the only naked boy on the beach tonight. He wondered if this was a nude beach. Not that it mattered. They were completely alone.

Jake trailed kisses along Edward's jaw, nipping playfully with his teeth as he moved down Edward's neck. Jake was growling like an animal against Edward's cold marble like chest, licking at the light trail of hair that led from his belly button south.

"Nothing but trouble there." Edward said grinning down at Jake.

"I'm counting on that!" Jake replied.

It was at that moment that both boys jerked their head up simultaneously as they heard the sound of footsteps. Someone was approaching.

The voice was ominous, and asked only one question.

"What goes on here?"


	4. Chapter 4

Vindico Nos

Chapter Four

Rendezvous

"Damn it Emmett! Get the fuck out of here!" Edward shouted as he threw a handful of sand at his brother.

Emmett and Jasper stepped out of the tall grass and stood staring at the arousing scene on the beach before them.

"Christ!" Jasper shouted, as a horrified look passed over his handsome face.

"Is that…Edward, is that the Volturi's adopted son?" He asked.

"So what if I am?" Jacob asked, rolling off of Edward, and standing up right in front of them, completely unabashed at being naked.

"Sweet Jesus man! They are gonna kill you Edward!" Emmett added, now appearing to be as worried as Jasper.

Jacob took a few steps toward Emmett and Jasper, lowered his head, and looked up at them menacingly. He clenched his fists, and spoke in a slow hypnotic voice.

"There is nothing wrong here. You didn't see anything. If anyone asks, you were just walking on the beach."

Jasper and Emmett stared at Jake with slack expressions. Then both boys repeated what Jacob had said.

"There is nothing wrong here. We didn't see anything. If anyone asks, we were just walking on the beach."

"Now move along." Jake stated firmly.

"Let's move along." Jasper and Emmett replied, and turned to go, walking like a couple of robots.

Jake stood firmly in place until both boys were out of sight, then he turned back to Edward who was sitting in the sand looking petrified.

"How did you do that?" Edward asked breathlessly.

"Nothing to it." Jake answered. "I just used a little bit of compulsion on them. Works every time! Now where were we before we got rudely interrupted? Damn! I hate that they were able to sneak up on me like that! I swear to God that will never happen again!"

Jake flopped down in the sand next to Edward and grinned wickedly at him. Edward was slightly worried. He wondered if Jacob had been using compulsion on him. Jacob, who was of course listening to Edward's thoughts, answered.

"Naw, I didn't have to compulse you. You were into it the moment you met me."

"I can't deny that." Edward replied as he reached over and grabbed hold of Jake's enormous bicep, pulling him closer. "I was really into it a moment ago."

"Don't worry, it won't take long to get that back!" Jake answered as he moved over Edward, and braced himself up on his arms.

Edward leaned up and drug his mouth slowly over Jakes full lower lip. Jake pulled back and shook his head no at Edward.

"You're not the one in charge here dead head. I am. So like it or not."

"I like it!" Edward replied enthusiastically.

Jake rolled his weight onto Edward once more, and began to grind against him. They were like two teenagers dry humping each other on the sand except for the fact that one teenager had been technically dead for over a hundred years, and the other wasn't even sure exactly what species he was.

"So do you plan on making this worth my while Jacob?" Edward asked as he grinned up at Jacob.

"Depends on what you call worth your while. Anyway, I got something I need you to do for me, that is if you're any good, and willing." Jake answered.

"What do you have in mind?" Edward asked, now thoroughly intrigued.

"Can you go down?" Jake asked. "I mean I'm pretty big, do you think you can handle it?"

"Why wouldn't I be able to handle it?" Edward asked.

"Oh, you know, I thought it might be against your religion or something. Your brothers were sure calling on God and Jesus a couple of minutes ago. I just wondered if you were a holy rolling vampire." Jake answered.

"Well, you know what they always say…."Edward began.

"What do they always say?" Jake asked cocking his head to one side.

Edward thrust upward against Jake, getting a loud moan out of the handsome boy on top of him in reward for his efforts.

"Oral's not immoral!" Edward laughed and winked at Jake.

"Jeez! You're a real piece of work!" Jake signed.

"No, I'm a real piece of ass!" Edward whispered against Jake's chest directly over his wildly beating heart.

"We'll see. Get to it!" Jake coaxed insistently as he rolled off of Edward onto his back in the sand, crossing his muscular arms under his head and licking his lips seductively.

"Whew" Edward breathed out as he took in the erotic sight. "So, do you want teeth with this, or what?"

"Oh whatever you like." Jake answered.

Teeth it will be thought Edward as he lowered his head and slipped Jake's hard, throbbing piece of man flesh directly into his eager, strong, wet mouth. He began to suck slowly, dragging his razor sharp teeth along the pulsing length and drawing drops of blood as he did so. Jacob's blood was so delicious to him, a mouth-watering mixture of sweet and salty that he simply couldn't resist. He drew a few more precious drops before continuing his skilled work, twisting his tongue around the tip and dipping it into the slit that was leaking pre-cum at an alarming rate. If this went on any longer Jake would cum right in his mouth. Edward wasn't sure if it was a good idea to go back to the Volturi with Jake's cum on his breath! No matter, Jake solved the problem for him.

"Come on." Jake growled, grabbing Edward's head and pulling him up. "Not here, I don't want to get sand up my pecker. Let's go into the water." He pulled Edward along behind him as they ran down to the water's edge, faster than any normal human could have run.

The rolling waves, reflecting the tranquil moonlight on their curved surfaces, broke around the two as they turned to embrace each other, waist high in the water. Hands twined in hair, and tongues twined in mouths as they engaged in a mind blowing soul kiss that left them both breathless and panting.

"God Jake, are you in heat or what?" Edward asked.

"Well, it's entirely possible I guess. I do turn into a wolf you know. I suppose I could be. If I start moaning and howling at the moon, you better run for cover and fast!"

"Yeah, bestiality is definitely not something I want to experience." Edward joked.

Jake moved behind him and slid his arms around Edward's narrow waist. Edward leaned back against Jake and laid his head back on Jakes shoulder as the waves slowly rocked them in a natural rhythm.

I could get lost in this place, I could get lost in him, Edward thought.

Reading his thoughts, Jake echoed that same sentiment, but with his own snarky twist.

"I'm gonna get lost in you right now!"

Jake pushed against Edward from behind, and entered him in one hard, almost vicious thrust. Edward was taken slightly off balance, but it wasn't painful for him. He had been expecting a trick like that, and was prepared for it. The water helped somewhat. He reached back and pulled at Jake's hips, helping the slightly bigger boy set the rhythm.

Jake was timing his thrusts with the roll of the waves, and that gave him more power. Edward was completely filled, he was beyond sated. I could love him, Edward thought. A few more moments of this exquisite pleasure and he would say something just that stupid.

"It's not stupid." Jake breathed against his ear as he continued his manly rhythm in time with the rolling waves. "There is nothing stupid about love. It's all encompassing. We are led by love, the world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe."

Edward couldn't hold back. He came, powerful shots of pleasure driving from his core, driving his ecstasy. Jake came right after, grinding so hard against Edward, that they fell, off balance into the salty ocean together.

Both boys broke the surface for air at the same moment, laughing and splashing each other in the waves. They came together for another embrace, another deep kiss, the moonlight on their skins, rich caramel mocca, and flawless porcelain. The briny scent of the ocean, the almost sickly sweet scent of vampire, and the woodsy, animal scent of a shape-shifter, all rolled into one delectable montage. They rolled together in the water, loving the feel of skin against skin. The freedom of youth calling to youth.

Love, the world moves for it. We kneel before it in awe. Edward would never forget those words. Jake could not believe he had said them aloud.

"I've never felt this way about anybody before." He admitted to Edward. "It scares me. Does it scare you?"

"Yes." Edward admitted. "But I don't care. I just don't care."

Morning is fast approaching. The sun will soon show herself over the leagues of shifting sea. The boys reluctantly leave the water, and walk hand in hand along the shore. They dress silently, and make their way, close enough to touch, back up the rocky crag of coast line toward Voltera. To anyone that might notice, they appeared to be a couple of teenagers, probably tourists, heading back to their hotel.

But it was not just anyone that noticed. Hidden from view in an old boat house just a few feet away is a silent watcher. His red eyes gleam in the dim light as he peeks through a crack in the door. He works to hide his presence from the two very perceptive boys. He is lucky. They are too wrapped up in each other for the moment to notice him, their silent watcher. He rages, clenching his nails against the palms of his hands so tightly that they draw blood.

He waits until the boys are a safe distance away before emerging from his hiding place. He follows, their rich combined scent draws him along. He can hold onto his anger. He can keep it in check. But he will not be silent forever.

The warm breeze blowing up from the ocean stirs his shoulder length blonde hair. He stands outside the walls of Castle Voltera. He will shield his thoughts. He will keep them inside. He will find a moment when he can be alone with Jacob. He will punish him for this sin. Yes, he will not let this stranger take away his reason for existence. He will have his vengeance!


	5. Chapter 5

Vindico Nos

Chapter Five

Rebellis Unis "The Rebellious One"

Morning over Italy, the sunlight on the ocean, the cool of early day, the end to all things vampiric. The Cullen family gathers their belongings and makes their way, along with all the other travelers, to their appointed destination, the nearest airport. The celebration is over; the call to attend has been fulfilled. Each can go his separate way, back to his own life. For one vampire, that is bitter sweet.

Edward said his goodbyes to Jacob in the hall outside the clock tower of Voltera Castle. He invited his new friend to come along with him, back to Washington State, but Jacob declined the invitation.

"They will never let me go." He had said, as he embraced his new friend one last time.

"Will I ever see you again Jacob?" Edward had asked with much trepidation.

"Who can tell?" Jacob answered. "Time may change everything."

Edward watches the clouds moving rapidly past the window of the luxury jet liner. His family surrounds him, in front and behind. All are silent. They do not know what to make of Edward's melancholy mood. They can sense that something has changed, but he will not speak of it. All are left to wonder what new trouble ails him.

By evening, they are back at Forks, Washington, and their home. The beautiful modern style house they'd constructed in the forest near La-Push. Edward was contemplative as he sat listening to classical music in his room. The last light of the setting sun streaming through the many floor to ceiling windows that surrounded him.

He wondered what was happening in far off Voltera, and what Jacob was doing. He imagined that Jacob had probably forgotten all about him for now, and that he had just been a "conquest" for the powerful boy. But Edward was certain of one thing. Jacob didn't belong with the Volturi. He didn't belong in Voltera.

Jacob had been dreaming pleasantly for quite some time, when he was startled from a sound sleep to find Felix and Dimitri standing over him.

"What the …." He started, but never got to finish his exclamation.

The two guardians closed in on him, grabbed him by the arms, and drug him out of his room, and down the hall. He fought and struggled wildly, but was unable to faze into the wolf. Dimitri was using compulsion on him to prevent the change. Such a power would only work for so long, and if they didn't get him restrained in some other way, he would be able to change despite their efforts.

By the time the guardians reached their destination, Dimitri was sweating profusely with the effort to keep up the compulsion required to prevent Jacob from changing. They threw him down at the feet of Caius, who had been waiting with anticipation for their arrival.

"Caius, why are they doing this to me? What's the meaning of this?" Jacob asked shocked at what had just transpired.

When Caius didn't immediately answer, Jacob took the opportunity to look around at his surroundings. He was in the dungeon. Someone had lit candles on large ominous looking stands around the room. He took in the sight of the dark, dank walls as the sound of water dripping from somewhere un-nerved him. The smell of mildew and dampness pervaded his senses. He felt trapped, and he knew that he was in for it.

Caius made a small gesture to the guardians, and Jacob was taken up by the two men, and dragged violently over to the wall. He struggled, again to no avail, as they tore his clothes from him, turned him to face the stone wall, and chained him tightly against it with his arms and legs outstretched like an x. He cursed and spat at them as they backed away, then cringed as a cold draft of air wafted against his naked skin.

He could feel the heavy iron chains as they bit into his wrists and ankles. Someone, most likely Aro, had infused the chains with a powerful holding spell. The spell had been created to make the chains strong enough to hold a vampire, and to prevent that vampire from using his or her special gifts. Unfortunately, that spell also worked against Jacob, and rendered him powerless.

"Leave us!" Caius ordered the guardians, and both men bowed to him as they turned to go.

Dimitri, weakened as he was by the effort to keep Jacob from fazing, had nearly collapsed. He leaned heavily on Felix as they ascended the stairs together and disappeared out of sight.

"I don't suppose I need to tell you why you are here. Your own thoughts convict you. Did you honestly think I wouldn't discover your treachery? Did you think I wouldn't punish you for it? The guilt of your sin reeks on you. I can still pick up his scent in your hair, on your skin. I've never had to punish you in this manner, and I have always hoped I would never have to, but you made that decision for me."

Caius moved closer and stood behind Jacob. He reached up and ran his fingers through the boy's thick spikey black hair, his breath hot against the back of Jacob's neck.

"You have betrayed us. Now you will have to learn the cost of it. Now you will have to learn discipline!"

Caius moves away from Jacob and leans down to remove something from an ancient cast iron chest on the floor. As Jacob turns his head to see what it is, despair strikes him. Adrenaline courses through his body, as he tightens his muscles in fear. He bites his lower lip, and resolves that he will not scream.

Caius stands behind Jacob again, holding a menacing looking leather whip. He coils it and runs it over the palm of his hand as he takes in the sight of Jacob chained against the wall. He lifts it, extends his arm, and brings it down against Jacob.

The first lash is a pain he tries to defend himself against, but he can't defend himself against it. The second is more than anyone can endure, and the third, and the forth and the fifth. Jacob wills himself not to think about it, think about anything else, anywhere else. But as the lashes continue, he cannot help but think about it. It spreads throughout his body, burning all over him. There is no escape from it. Like a white hot heat, it threatens to break him.

_Don't cry in front of him. Don't give him that satisfaction._

But the pain drives him with each crack of the whip against his undefended back side, he cannot hold out in his resolve. He struggles, and finally he can take it no more. His will breaks. His soul finds vent. He screams in despair, and with each fall of the lash, his screams continue.

Jacob hangs limply by his wrists. His powerful blood drips from many wounds. He cannot use his power to heal himself because of the holding spell on the chains. He wants to faint, but he is too strong for that kind of release. He opens his mouth to beg Caius to stop, but he is spared that degradation.

As the lash descends once more, a hand reaches out to stop it.

"Caius, what are you doing?" Cries an astonished Marcus, he had smelled Jacob's blood, and heard his screams from above.

Caius stands staring with narrowed eyes, poised as if to strike out at Marcus. He leans forward, and crouches on the wet floor.

"Would you move against me old friend?" Marcus asks, extending his hand peacefully toward Caius.

Caius steadies himself, and stands slowly. He drops the whip, wet from Jacob's blood onto the floor at his feet. He holds out his hands and looks at them as if he cannot believe what he has just done. His eyes drift to the sobbing figure still chained to the stone wall.

"Why have you done this?" Marcus asks again.

"I wanted to punish him. He sinned against us with that Cullen boy. He is no longer innocent. Now everything will change." Caius answered hanging his head in defeat.

"I wasn't innocent! You made certain of that my loving father!" Jacob spat the word father with such hatred that even Marcus winched.

"What do you mean Jacob?" Marcus asked.

"He has been teaching me all about love in its various forms. Haven't you father? Why don't you ask him to tell you all about it? He's been schooling me on that subject ever since I was fourteen. He took it upon himself to see that I knew everything there was to know about "surrendering myself" to someone who loves me. Love! I don't think he even knows what that word means!" Jacob shouted tearfully.

"Caius, is that true?" Marcus asked.

Caius didn't answer. He turned and ran up the stairs, and out of the dungeon, disappearing into the bowels of the castle. Marcus walked over to where Jacob was hanging, and released him from the chains. Jacob slumped to the floor, and Marcus knelt down and picked up the boy in his arms. He carried Jacob up the stairs, and back to his room, then called silently for Aro.

Jacob wanted to heal his wounds, but the lingering effects of the chains holding spell were still upon him. They would soon wear off however, and when they did, he would close those bleeding lash marks. Then he would faze and leave the castle. Aro arrived in time to pick those thoughts from Jacob's mind. He couldn't shield his thoughts from them just yet. He was still too weak.

Jacob lay silently on his bed as Marcus and Aro spoke in hushed voices just outside his door. He listened as Marcus enlightened Aro about the abuse Jacob had been suffering at Caius's hands. Caius had made Jacob believe that he loved him, but that was the lie all abuser's told their victims. Marcus and Aro were trying to decide how to handle the situation. They were worried that Jacob would faze and take out his anger on everyone. The boy tensed as they re-entered his room, the worried looks on their faces betraying their smiles.

"Are we feeling better?" Aro asked. "I can see that you are beginning to heal yourself though slowly. The spell will wear off very soon, and you will be strong again. Don't concern yourself. I will personally punish Caius for this transgression. He will not get away with what he has done to you."

Aro leaned down and kissed Jacob's forehead gently as he brushed the boy's hair back from his eyes. "We love you Jacob. I'm going to find Caius now. I will make him pay for this." Aro left the room quickly, a breeze of cool air the only sign that he had ever been there.

Marcus resolved to remain with Jacob, though he worried that it might mean death for him if the boy regained his strength and fazed. Jacob was volatile. His emotions were all over the spectrum. Marcus could feel his anger, his rage. But he did love the boy. He would stay and give comfort if he could.

Sometime later, a guard entered to summon Marcus to the throne room. Aro had returned with Caius, and Marcus was needed. He rose and kissed the sleeping boy on the cheek. Jacobs's wounds were healed. He showed no outward signs of the trauma that he had just suffered. But Marcus was a physician, and he knew the damage to the soul was always worse that the damage to the body. He walked reluctantly out of the room, following the guard.

When the sound of their footsteps was no longer audible, Jacob sat up. He dressed rapidly, and filled his wallet with cash, a credit card, his ID and passport. He leapt out of the window, and scaled the wall carefully down to the ground. He began to run through the darkness faster than a human could run, faster even than a vampire. His plan, to reach the airport. His destination, Forks, Washington.


	6. Chapter 6

Vindico Nos

Chapter Six

Porro Via Domus (The Long Way Home)

Forks, Washington, early morning, drops of rain slip easily through the trees and thick vegetation that lines the winding road. Jacob was lucky enough to find a truck driver willing to take him from Seattle to Forks. Once he reached the sleepy little town, he had managed to summon up enough strength to hypnotize a local into taking him the rest of the way.

Just before he and Edward had parted, Edward had slipped a piece of paper into Jacob's pocket. On that paper was written an address and cell phone number. Jacob had given the address to the driver, and eased back into the seat of the beat up pickup. He had wanted so to simply drift off, but that would have required him to stop using his powers, weakened though they were, to keep the driver hypnotized. He couldn't risk that.

After some time, the driver, an overweight, middle aged man, slowed down, and pointed to a paved road that led off into the woods to the right of the main road. Jacob climbed out, gave the man a hundred dollar bill, and sauntered off down the drive.

He was exhausted, nauseated, and weakened from the lingering effects of the spell, though it was wearing off slowly. He felt somewhat anxious about just arriving unannounced, but he didn't own a cell phone, and hadn't had the opportunity to call ahead. He knew Edward wouldn't mind him coming to visit, but he wondered about the rest of the Cullen's.

He need not have worried. As the magnificent house came into view, Jacob looked up to find Esme and Carlisle standing outside. They had sensed his presence, and come to greet him.

"Jacob isn't it?" Asked Carlisle. "Edward told us you might be coming for a visit. I trust your trip was pleasant?"

"Not really, I kind of had to leave in a hurry, but don't worry. They won't come after me if that's what you're thinking." Jacob replied as he climbed the steps toward them.

Esme put her arm around Jacob's shoulders and hugged him close to her. Jacob felt a lump rise in his throat, and his eye's glazed over with unshed tears. He had never known a mother. Heidi was the closest thing, and she was a poor substitute. She had never shown him any affection. She'd had no use for such things

He walked through the doors, with Esme's arm still tight around his shoulders. He was vaguely aware that she was commenting on how tired he looked, and asking Carlisle if he had noticed. Carlisle, for his part, was eyeing Jacob with a worried expression. Jacob was sure that Carlisle had an inkling of what he had just gone through. Jacob was still having trouble shielding his mind, and though Carlisle wasn't a mind reader, he was still very perceptive.

Esme led Jacob over to a large comfortable looking couch, and encouraged him to take off his shoes and lie down for a while. She then proceeded to inform Jasper and Emmett, who had just come into the room, that they would be making a run into Forks to get some groceries for Jacob. She gave the two boys a list, then fetched a blanket, and covered Jacob with it.

"Where is Edward?" Jacob asked her as she tucked the blanket in around him and smoothed his hair back.

"He's out hunting with Alice and Rosalie. They should be back soon. I think Carlisle just called him to let him know you're here." She replied. "Just rest now until he gets back."

Though Jacob was very tired, he found that he couldn't sleep. He did lie quietly on the couch under the blanket and allow his body to repair itself. That simple act was taking away some of the weak feeling, and the nausea was completely gone. No matter how many times he flew, he just couldn't get over air sickness.

Some time had passed when Jacob was startled by the sound of a human girl's voice. He looked up to find a young, petite, dark haired, pale skinned girl with large brown eyes standing a few feet away from him. She was asking Esme when Edward would be back. Jacob sat up and turned toward the girl so he could see her better.

He scanned her quickly, and knew in an instant that he didn't like her at all. Her name was Bella. She was a local girl from Forks, and she was Edward's "girlfriend", in so much as a human can be the girlfriend of a vampire. Jacob read in her thoughts that she didn't really love Edward. She wanted what so many other humans thought they wanted eternal life. It was her only real desire. She was using Edward and the Cullen's, pretending to be their friend to get what she wanted.

Jacob realized the immediate danger. It was forbidden by the Volturi to let a human know about the existence of Vampires. This girl, who was still obviously human, knew what the Cullen's were. She had convinced them that she was a good person. Edward was unable to read her thoughts because like Jacob, she could shield them. Certain humans could do that. Edward thought she loved him. He was mistaken.

Esme looked nervously toward Jacob. Jacob knew that she was worried he would tell his fathers that the Cullen's had told a human their secret. He smiled and winked at her, hoping she would get the idea. He would never tell their secret. Even though he didn't like this girl, he wouldn't betray his new friends.

But it didn't matter anymore, Edward was close, Jacob could feel him. Within moments, the front door opened, and Edward came quickly inside, followed by his sisters.

"Jacob!" He cried in surprise. "I can't believe you're here!"

Before Jacob could say anything, Bella threw her arms around Edward and kissed him on the cheek.

"So, who's your cute friend baby?" She asked Edward.

Edward winched and shrugged her off. "His name is Jacob, and he's come a long way to get here. I know I promised to take you to Tacoma today, but could we maybe do this another day?"

"But Edward, you promised!" Bella pouted. "I need to get a prom dress before all the good ones are gone!" She stomped her foot at him, and turned toward Alice and Rosalie. "Alice, will you take me? Pretty please?"

Alice blushed and looked miserable. Rosalie on the other hand looked absolutely venomous. Edward sent a pleading look to Alice, and she took pity on him.

"Oh all right Bella. I need to get some new clothes anyway. Come on Rosalie, you can go with us." Alice said.

"Great! We'll have so much fun! See you when we get back baby." Bella purred as she leaned up and kissed Edward fully on the mouth.

Rosalie rolled her eyes, Alice looked embarrassed, and Edward appeared to be on the verge of tears. Jacob watched with amusement as the three girls left in a hurry. Edward crossed the floor, and sat down beside Jacob on the couch.

"I'm sorry you had to meet her. I'd hoped to have this problem solved before you got here, but now there are complications." Edward said, lowering his eyes. He didn't seem able to look Jacob in the eye.

"Yeah, like the fact that humans aren't supposed to know about vampires, yet she obviously does. How did that come about?" Jacob asked.

"I thought she was cute. I liked the smell of her blood. I thought she liked me. She figured out what we are, the rest is history. Now, she has threatened to tell others about us if I don't change her. I haven't told Carlisle and Esme that yet, but I'll have to. She's vindictive enough to cause us a lot of trouble. I wish I'd never met her!" Edward sighed.

Jacob was quiet for a moment. He was thinking of a solution to the problem. He knew of one, but it would mean him going back to Voltera. Never mind, that could wait. He was feeling better already.

"Let's go up to your room. I want to be alone with you if that's ok." Jacob said.

Edward stood up, and Jacob followed him up the winding stairs to the second floor. Edward's room was small, but comfortable looking with a large bed facing toward a wall of windows that overlooked the forest. It was a pleasant view. Jacob felt at home here, though he noticed a perceptible pull toward the forest. He had been aware of it for some time now. He wanted to faze and go exploring, but that could wait as well. He had some precious alone time with Edward, and he wasn't going to waste it.

He reached out to Edward, pulling him close and running his hands up Edward's back to tangle in his hair.

"I've missed you." Jacob breathed against Edward's neck as he trailed kissed up the length of it. "Did you miss me?"

Before Edward could answer, he found his mouth full of Jacob's tongue, and lost all train of thought when the kiss deepened and sent a rolling wave of pleasure straight to his groin. Jacob evidently felt something similar, as he moaned into Edward's mouth and ground against him almost violently.

"Bed?" Edward asked when Jacob broke the kiss for air.

"Sure" was the only reply Edward got in return as Jacob pulled them both down onto the soft down comforter.

The two boys rolled together on the bed, pulling at each other's clothes, stopping to kiss and touch. They felt the press of time, and worried about possible discovery, but not enough to stop them from continuing their foreplay.

"Do you want to be on top this time?" Jacob asked as he bit playfully into Edward's shoulder.

"No, I don't think I could overpower you. Besides, you're bigger than me." Edward replied.

"Don't worry, I've done it before." Jacob answered.

Edward wondered who Jacob might have done that with before, but he didn't have long to wonder about anything. Jacob, deciding that Edward had given him answer enough, took the situation in hand.

"Stand up, and bend over the foot of the bed. I want to do it that way." Jacob insisted, and Edward, never one to argue, complied with the request.

"Wait, do you have anything?" Jacob asked. "I mean lubrication you know."

"I don't, but I could just suck on it for you first. That would get you slicked up enough don't you think?" Edward asked.

Jacob's answer was something like an animal growl. Edward who was sitting naked on the foot of the bed, smiled up at Jacob who was standing in front of him. He reached out and took Jacob's enormous cock into his hand and stroked the rock hard length for a minute teasingly.

Jacob moaned, and rocked himself against Edward's hand. Edward got the hint, and leaning down, took the hard throbbing length into his mouth and began to suck furiously on it. Jacob bit down hard on his lower lip to keep from making too much noise. He didn't want to be disrespectful to Esme by making the second floor of her house sound like a porn palace.

To Jacob's relief, Edward didn't have the stamina to torture him with pleasure for very long. Jacob pulled Edward off, turned him around, and got into position behind him as Edward bent over the foot of the bed for him.

Jacob clamped his hand over Edward's mouth as he slid into him to keep him quiet. He sensed that Edward needed that assistance, and dominating someone else absolutely fired Jacob's passion. He had only known that feeling twice now, and both times had been with Edward. He loved it.

Edward loved it too. He had never been with a boy before Jacob. He had always known that he tended to go that way, but had never been brave enough to actually try it. Jacob had liberated him. He didn't care about anything else in the world now.

Jacob picked up the intensity, lifting Edward's feet up off the floor with each thrust. He clenched Edward's hips tightly with his hands, bringing them fully together.

"I'm gonna cum!" Jacob gasped as he dug his fingernails into Edward's skin.

That little vocalization was enough to spur on Edward's orgasm too. He felt the beautiful build up take him and he was over the edge as the intoxicating waves exploded over him.

"God, it's so good with you!" Jacob whispered breathlessly against the back of Edward's neck. "Was it good for you too?"

"Of course it was!" Edward answered. "I wish you could stay here with me always. We could do this every night."

"I'll have to go back eventually, but we have now." Jacob answered.

Several hours later, as both boys lay drowsing in Edward's bed, they were startled out of their reverie by the shrill sound of Bella's voice. Both of them leapt out of the bed at the same moment, and hurried to get dressed as she came up the stairs. They could never have done it quickly enough if they had been simple humans, but they managed it just in time.

The door to Edward's room burst open and Bella breezed in with several large shopping bags full of clothes.

"You!" She said, gesturing toward Jacob. "Esme want's you downstairs. She says you need to eat." Then she turned dismissively away from him and toward Edward. "I want to show you what I got baby."

Edward looked helplessly toward Jacob. Jacob just shrugged and got up to leave. He noticed Bella looking back over her shoulder at him as he walked out of the room.

"So when is he going back home?" She asked Edward.

Jacob didn't stick around to hear the answer. It wasn't important. He could smell steak and baked potatoes, and he was hungry enough to eat a bear. He would bide his time. He had things to do tomorrow. He needed to find his people, see if he had any family left. After that was done, he would address the "Bella situation". He had a good idea how to solve that problem. But he had a little time first; time to let everything play out, time to decide just how much he loved Edward Cullen.


	7. Chapter 7

Vindico Nos

Chapter Seven

Ego Sum Domus (I Am Home)

Jacob sat alone on the front steps of the Cullen home. A warm, breeze blows softly over him, stirring the leaves on the ground at his feet. It is autumn in Forks, Washington. He has never known that season. He finds it pleasant. The scent of the falling leaves, the sound they make as they crunch under his feet, the closing of the year, as Carlisle calls it. It is a fitting description of his situation as of late, the closing not of a year, but of a way of life.

He does not know how long he will have here, but he feels that every moment is precious. He understands that he will be called back to Voltera eventually. That is unavoidable, inescapable, but for now, he is here.

He needed some time alone. After enjoying a delicious meal prepared for him especially by Esme, he asked to be excused for a while. He knew Edward had to play the interested boyfriend, at least for a while. Bella would leave eventually. In the meantime, he would address another pressing problem.

Ever since he'd arrived in Forks, he had been aware of a "pull" of sorts that seemed to be calling him into the forest. The closer he'd gotten to the Cullen's residence, the stronger the pull. Now, on the edge of the Quileute Reservation, he could barely prevent himself from fazing and tearing off into that forest to find the source of the pull. He knew he would not be able to hold that off for long.

Dusk was descending. The forest was alive with the night sounds of it's nocturnal inhabitants. Jacob still remained on the steps, watching and listening, but for what, he didn't know. Finally, the curiosity to go exploring overcame him, and he slipped quietly down the stairs, across the small yard, and into the woods.

Once he was a little distance from the house, he stripped off his clothes, left them at the base of a large pine tree, and fazed into the wolf. He was instantly aware of the forest in such a much more profound way. All sounds, sights and smells were intensified. He was running at break neck speed, his claws tearing at the soft turf.

The feeling of elation was more than he could ever have imagined. This place, it was home. It was where he belonged. He knew it in his very soul. No matter what his fathers might have told him, this was the place of his birth, and even if he could not remember his family, he was certain there were people here who might remember him.

He stopped at the top of a rocky cliff that overlooked a river. He could sense that this spot was important, though he didn't know why. This river, it served as some sort of boundary line. But a boundary line of what? He reached deep into his mind, trying desperately to remember something, anything, but there was nothing.

_The Cold Ones are my mortal enemies, but I have been raised by them, and the Cullen's are my friends. Who are my people? This river marks the boundary of their land doesn't it? Yes, of course it does. _

Jacob was startled from his thoughts by a sound in the underbrush across the river. He froze and crouched down onto the rocks working hard to make no sound.

"_Who are you?"_

The voice speaking in his head was female. He was certain of it, but the creature across the river from him was not human, at least it didn't seem that way.

"_Can you hear me?"_

Jacob realized he would have to answer that voice. He steadied himself, and stepped out into the moonlight. He could see her now, a small sliver she-wolf, standing on the other side of the river. She took a step back in seeming astonishment, then moved to the edge of the cliff to get a better look at him.

"_Please tell me who you are."_

Jacob paused for a moment, and took in a slow deep breath. If he answered her, and if she knew him…

"_Jacob, my name is Jacob." _

The little silver wolf gasped in shock.

"_Jacob Black? Are you Jacob Black? My God, it can't be you! We thought you were dead! Jacob, it's me, Leah, Leah Clearwater. Do you remember me? I'm your cousin Leah. We used to play together, you, me and my little brother Seth. Please change back so I can see what you look like."_

Jacob considered his options. He couldn't turn and run, it was past that point. Here was someone who knew him, a person from his past. She was a cousin, family. She remembered him as a child. She could fill in the missing links. But what in hell would he tell her? He would tell her the truth. It was always best to start with the truth. She was family, she was a Quileute.

"_I didn't bring my clothes with me. I hope that doesn't bother you."_

She nodded her head at him, and disappeared into the trees for a moment, to give him time to faze. He relaxed and let the change come over him. He really didn't want to change back into his human form. He felt vulnerable, not to mention the awkwardness of being naked in front of a stranger. But was she a stranger?

He looked across the river to find a beautiful young woman gazing back at him. She was tall, dark, well proportioned, with shoulder length glossy black hair the same shade as his. She made no effort to cover her nakedness, so he did the same, and stepped out from behind the trees.

"My God you're beautiful." She gasped. "But I would know you anywhere. It is you, it's really you. Where have you been all this time Jacob?" She asked, her voice wavering as if on the verge of tears.

"I've been lost. Jacob replied. "Now I'm home."

He told her about his life in Voltera, how he'd been taken by the Volturi after the accident, and how he'd grown up not knowing his true identity. He explained about meeting the Cullen's and how they'd told him about the Quileute people. She listened in astonishment as he told his tale.

"It's a miracle that you're still alive after all that. Talk about sleeping with the enemy. You've been living in the heart of it all for ten years! Everyone will be so surprised to meet you Jacob. Please let me take you back home with me. My father was your father's brother. He can tell you anything you want to know."

Jacob was so tempted to take her up on the offer, but he knew it was already getting late, and he would be missed at the Cullen's. He suggested that she meet him back here in the morning, and he would go with her then to meet his uncle. She relunctantly agreed, unable to fathom why he would want to spend the night at the Cullen house.

Despite his desire to get back to Edward, he was actually sad to say goodbye to her. She was the only link he had with his past. The only real family he knew.

By the time he made it back to the Cullen's, Bella had left for home, and Edward was pacing around the house, waiting impatiently for Jacob's return. Jacob had retrieved his clothes from under the pine and dressed as quickly as he could. He walked into the light near the porch and smiled up at Edward.

"I take it you missed me?"

"Yeah, you could say that! Where have you been?" Edward asked.

"Oh just tying up some lose ends. So did you ditch the broad?"

"She's gone, but she'll probably be back in the morning. I need to find a way to get rid of her, but I'm afraid she'll make trouble." Edward replied.

"Oh I wouldn't worry too much about her. I have a feeling she's gonna forget all about you real soon." Jacob said as he closed the distance between them, and wrapped his arms around Edward.

Edward smiled at Jacob and leaned in to brush his lips teasing against Jacob's warm soft mouth.

"Hey, we don't wanna go porno on your parent's front lawn do we?" Jacob asked laughing.

"Depends on what you call porno." Edward replied sliding his hands down Jacob's back and gripping the band of his jeans. "Why don't we call it a day? I can think of a good way to end it."

"Yeah, I bet you can." Jacob replied.

The two boys disappeared into the house, closing the door behind them, and turning off the outside lights. In the quiet of the forest surrounding the house, a lone wolf watches. She buries her feelings deep down inside.

_He was lost, and now he is found. I will bring him back to us. He will never have to be with them again._


	8. Chapter 8

Vindico Nos

Chapter Eight

Vos Es Meus Salus (You are my Salvation)

Forks, Washington, two boys lay side by side, looking into each other's eyes. They speak no words. There is no need for words. Each boy can easily read the thoughts of the other. They are naked, and not ashamed of it in any way. The moonlight shining through the floor to ceiling windows illuminates their bodies with a soft glow, deep honey golden and bright porcelain white. The boys do not see their racial differences. Such things mean nothing to them. They move to embrace, side by side, face to face.

"_The world moves for love. It kneels before it in awe."_

Whispered words echo from their first encounter, weighted with the emotion of the speaker, they declare to the audible world the inner most desire of the heart; to be chained in love to the one we love, for such chains are not a burden, but a blessing.

Jacob knows all about chains. He has spent his life in them in one way or another. Chains need not be visible to be real. They need not be tangible to restrain. So often we live our lives in chains never knowing we alone have the key to set ourselves free. Jacob had discovered that he had the key. He was no longer chained. He would never wear any chains again, save the one he was forging with Edward.

Edward had always felt trapped by the very nature of his existence. The world changes; he does not. He tries to be what he thinks others want him to be. Such self-sacrifice seldom brings happiness. He knows that now. He is a vampire. He will be a vampire for all of time, until the world is no more. He has come to realize that by his very nature, he cannot love the way humans love. He does not desire it. He needs a flame that burns much brighter, hotter and stronger. He has found that flame. He will do what is necessary to keep that flame burning.

Hands find hands, and fingers twine together. Hot tight belly against hot tight belly, heartbeat to heartbeat, mouth to mouth; resuscitating each other with breath, and with life. The moans of pleasure, a chorus of music like unto none other; a symphony of sensuality, shared not with a listening audience, but one with the other, words whispered both out loud, and silently, to guide, to encourage, to convey love.

Deep kisses brought forth from the very soul of each to ignite the fires that burn below, and those fires spread out across the body, across the skin, rolling pleasure in their wake, increasing the desire of one for the other. No need for dominance, no place for selfishness, this is a shared passion. They move, position themselves in order to give pleasure to the other simultaneously, wet eager mouths close over hard cocks, strong, deep suction meant to empty, meant to drain.

A barrage of silent thoughts travel instantly from one to the other.

"_Move this way, do it that way, twist your tongue like that. Stop! I need more than this!"_

They move again, one atop the other, bodies grinding in unsated need. Jacob will be the one to surrender tonight. He needs it. He is overwhelmed with all that he had experienced. He desires to feel this sensation with someone he loves, someone he knows loves him, not someone who is using him. He knows Edward is not using him.

Edward works to quiet his shaking hands and trembling body. He has never been in a position of dominance with another boy before. He knows he can do it. Jacob needs it. He will deliver. He tenses as he feels Jacob's strong legs wrap around his waist as if to pull him down. He is ready. He will make this good for Jacob. He has been trespassing in the other boy's thoughts. What he saw there made his blood boil with rage. He knows what Jacob has been through. He knows who caused it. He will work now, to replace those memories. He will give Jacob something good. He moves gently into the boy beneath him, slow steady movements, timed to allow the other to accommodate. The thoughts he sends to Jacob, bring instant euphoria.

"_I will be your salvation."_

Edward looks down into Jacob's deep soulful eyes. They are wide and innocent. Jacob' expression conveys nothing but hope, and pleasure. Edward mouths the words "I love you". Jacob responds with those same words aloud. Edward increases the pace of his thrusts, moving his hips in a circle to increase the sensation for Jacob. The boy beneath him moans loudly against his ear. Edward knows he is successful.

Jacob's hands clutch at Edward's back, his nails dragging long marks on the flawless skin, marks that heal instantly. Edward loves the feeling of hot pain that comes with each one. He hears Jacob's deep rolling voice in his head. The words spur him on.

"_Yes! Give it to me now! All of it! Everything! I want it! I need it! I want you! I need you! Don't leave me! I won't leave you! Love me! I love you!"_

So easy when you could hear the thoughts of the one you were with, so effortless with Jacob. If only all love could be like this, free of deception and lies. There would never be the threat of that with Jacob. His mind was an open book.

Edward knows he is close. He knows he cannot hold out much longer. He sends those thoughts to Jacob. Jacob echoes the same. They time their finish together, their separate orgasms becoming one as they climb to the pinnacle, then fall together into the afterglow.

They lay together, side by side, face to face, damp skin touching damp skin, fingers intertwined, eye to eye, thought to thought and heart to heart. Jacob has found what he was looking for. Edward has found what he was looking for. There is no need for words.

Jacob falls asleep with his head on Edward's shoulder. That shoulder would have felt hard as stone to a normal human. To Jacob, it feels normal. He feels normal; for the first time in his life.

Edward watches Jacob sleep, listening to the boy's slow steady breathing, and every beat of Jacob's heart. He doesn't want to miss anything. He strokes his fingers lovingly through Jacob's short, spiky, black hair, enjoying the texture of it. He has never felt this strongly about another before. It frightens him, and elates him at the same moment.

"_Love, the world kneels before it, I keel before you Jacob"_

Morning comes too soon. Jacob is awakened by the sound of pots and pans banging in the kitchen below. Soon the smell of bacon and eggs begins to waft up the stairs. Jacob's stomach rumbles to remind him that though he is super human, he does still need to eat. Esme has not forgotten that. He feels a kind of affection for her. He could come to love her as a mother. He senses that she wants him to. Though he is normally slow to trust others, he has let that inhibition go since coming to Forks, this strange place that seems so familiar to him. He wishes with all his soul that he could get back the memories that were stolen from him. He knows that today, he may just get that wish.

Edward is in the shower. Jacob can hear the water running. Though the desire to go and join Edward is very tempting, Jacob knows he has things to do today. He makes his way down the stairs, and into the kitchen where Esme has set out a plate of food, and a glass full of orange juice for him.

"Good morning Jacob." She says, as she smiles and runs her fingers through his hair. She leans down and kisses him on the forehead. "How did you sleep?"

Jacob can't fight the blush that spreads suddenly over his face. He lowers his head quickly to hide his smile.

"Oh, I slept pretty well." He answered.

"That's funny." Esme replied. "Carlisle and I could have sworn you boys didn't go to sleep until almost dawn, what with all the noise you two were making."

"Oh God!" Jacob sighed shaking his head, as Esme laughed.

"Don't worry. We're both happy for you two. Edward has been so lonely for so long. We were devastated when Bella came into his life. We knew she wasn't right for him. It's obvious that you are."

"Do you really think so?" Jacob asked. "I mean, what with him being a vampire, and me being…."

"I can't answer that for you Jacob. You and Edward will have to decide that for yourselves." Esme replied.

Jacob hurried to finish his breakfast, and then told Esme about his plans to meet Leah that morning. She agreed it was something he would have to do. He needed to meet his family and learn what they could tell him. Although he was nervous about the reunion, he knew that meeting the Quileute's would stop that insane pull he had been feeling.

He didn't stay to say goodbye to Edward. Bella arrived just as he finished breakfast. She scowled in his direction, and then began to gush to Esme about her new prom dress and how much she'd spent on it. Money and fashion seemed to be the only things she cared about, the only things except becoming a vampire. Jacob was going to resolve that situation, but it would have to wait.

Leah was waiting for him at the cliff overlooking the river, just as she'd promised. Jacob easily made the leap across onto the Quileute lands. The moment his feet touched ground on the reservation, he gasped, and rocked unsteadily for a moment. Voices echoed into his head, greetings, welcomes, and the sound of many young men talking all at once. It felt vaguely familiar, and yet not so.

"Don't worry Jacob. It's just the pack welcoming you home. You'll get used to hearing them in your head. You can shut it out if you try really hard. The guys are ok. Sam is the leader. He didn't want to do it, but with you gone and all, he really had no choice." Leah said.

"What do you mean, with me gone an all?" Jacob asked.

"Your father was the chief. You would have been the alpha male of the pack when you grew up. Now that your back, you are the alpha I guess. But don't worry. Sam will have no problem giving that up to you." Leah answered.

"I don't want to be alpha! I didn't come here to unseat anyone. I don't have any claim on anything!" Jacob cried.

"It doesn't matter Jacob. You are the chief now that your father is dead and you've come back. It's your destiny to be. You can't just walk away from it. Everything happens for a reason. You've grown up now, and suddenly you are back. Don't you see? It's no coincidence!" Leah insisted.

They walked on in silence for a while. Jacob was determined not to let her enthusiasm ruin his mood. He hadn't come here to be chief of this tribe. He would make that clear to them.

Soon the Quileute village of La-Push came into view through the trees. It was a shabby little place, full of run down shacks and a general store. He saw the effects of crushing poverty all around him as children stopped to stare at the new comer. He could still hear the voices of the other wolves calling to him. He had tried to shut them out, but they were insistent. Leah had assured him, that with practice, he would learn to quiet that chorus of sound ringing through his head.

She stopped in front of a little, green painted cabin, tucked up against the hill side. The front porch was leaning a bit, and some of the boards were rotten, but the smell of wood smoke coming from the chimney perfumed the air with a rich and pleasant odor. The place felt home like, despite the obvious state of dereliction.

"Come on Jacob. My mom and dad are inside with my little brother Seth. I doubt you would remember him. He's a couple years younger than you." Leah said as she pushed open the shabby screen door.

Jacob didn't remind her that he couldn't remember anything. There didn't seem to be any need to do so. As they entered the dark interior of the little cabin, Jacob's eyes adjusted immediately. He took in the sight of worn furniture, and thread bare carpets, but the place was clean, and the smell of freshly baked bread made his mouth water. He noticed that the table was set for a meal, and a pretty older woman with long dark hair and a pleasant face was putting plates out in front of the miss-matched chairs. She looked up and smiled at him.

Her husband, Leah's father Harry, rose from the couch and came to stand in front of Jacob. For a moment, the older man was silent, just looking at him as if in contemplation. Then he reached out and gripped the sides of Jacob's head gently in his hands.

"God be praised! I never thought to look into those eyes again! You are my brother's son. I can see Billy in the face of the boy who stands before me." Harry said solemnly as tears formed in his eyes.

Jacob felt a lump rise in his throat, the weight of the situation finally coming down upon him. This man was his uncle, the brother of his father. This man knew him, had known him. Jacob noticed a younger boy standing in the background. He turned his head slightly to see more clearly.

"This is Seth." Leah replied. "He's the baby."

"Shut up Leah!" Seth shouted, punching at his sister, who easily ducked out of the way with a wolf's uncanny speed.

"Come sit down with me Jacob." Harry urged. "Sue and I dug out some old pictures last night. We thought it might help you to remember if you could look at them."

Jacob followed Harry over to the couch, and sat down bedside his uncle. He sensed the pack approaching outside the cabin, Leah and Seth seemed to notice as well. Seth nodded toward his father, and slipped outside. Jacob read in Seth's thoughts that he was going to tell the pack to hang back and let Jacob get acquainted with Harry and Sue, before intruding. Jacob hoped the pack would comply. He could only handle one introduction at a time. His emotions were becoming volatile again. That was always dangerous.

Harry lifted a large photo album from the coffee table, and opened it on his lap. He pointed to a picture of a tall man wearing a cowboy hat, a white t-shirt, jeans, and boots. This man had long black hair, the same exact shade a Jacob's. The man was standing next to a very pretty Quileute woman with very long dark hair in two braids. She was holding a little baby.

Jacob's heart leaped up and lodged in his throat. He broke out in a cold sweat. He felt so light headed, that he thought he would pass out. Voices from the past invaded his thoughts. Words, laughter, sounds, smells, thoughts, all of it so sudden, so unexpected, he wanted to put his hands over his ears, but he knew that wouldn't help.

It was like a jolt back into time for him. He was a little boy again, running wild in the front yard of a red painted cabin in the woods, a cabin much like the one he was sitting in right now. The woman from the picture, his mother, hanging clothes on a line, the man, his father, sitting on the front porch, carving a little wolf figurine for Jacob to play with. Jacob being lifted up into his father's lap, his mother coming over to lean down and kiss him on the cheek. Their words to him, words of love, their thoughts of him, grow up, be strong, our baby, our son, it was so emotional, it was too much.

He burst into tears and covered his face with his hands. Harry put his arm around Jacob and patted him on the shoulder. Jacob could hear his uncle speaking words of comfort to him. He couldn't respond. So many memories suddenly flooded into his head, so many things that had been taken from him. He sat silently and let them come. All of it, his life, his past, returned in just a moment. He looked at the other pictures in the book, faces frozen in time, a moment of someone's life captured forever on film to be immortalized though the people in the photo were long ago gone. He was shown pictures of grandparents, cousins, friends, his village, his tribe. He recognized some from the memories that were flooding his head, others, he did not. But it didn't matter.

After some time had passed, Jacob felt he could speak again, and he began to ask Harry questions about his father and mother. Harry was able to answer. This man had the answers that Jacob needed. They would have talked all afternoon, if Sue hadn't reminded them that lunch was getting cold.

Jacob sat at the table with his family. Sue had cooked a traditional Quileute meal, and for Jacob, it truly was like coming home. He tasted foods that he hadn't eaten since he was a little boy, so many sensations, so many things to see and do, and the pack outside, still waiting for him. He would go out to them after lunch. He would come to know each one of them, but he would not lead them. Not yet.

Harry had suggested taking Jacob out to the cabin where he grew up. The pack had kept the place up for Jacob in the chance that he might return. Jacob wanted to see it, but he knew he needed to meet the pack first, so Harry took Jacob outside, and they sat down on the bottom porch step.

They didn't have long to wait. One by one, the larger than life wolves of the Quileute pack stepped out of the woods, following a huge black wolf, obviously their leader. Sam, Jacob remembered. This wolf came right up to the porch, and nodded to Harry. Slowly, each wolf changed back down to its human form, and retrieved clothes that had been tied to its back leg with a bit of elastic rope.

How ingenious! Jacob thought. He would have to remember that trick. He was introduced to these boys one by one. Sam, the tallest, oldest and strongest was the first one he met. Sam shook Jacob's hand, but eyed him suspiciously. Jacob sent a silent thought of reassurance to Sam that he was not here to usurp Sam's leadership in any way. Sam backed away, not completely convinced, but quiet for the moment. He then met the Beta wolf Paul. He didn't really like Paul. This boy was outwardly hostile, and obviously untrusting of Jacob. Though he said nothing out loud, his thoughts were easy enough to read. Paul thought Jacob was in league with the vampires. Jacob could easily understand why Paul would think that.

Next, he was introduced to Jared. Jared was a cute younger boy, about Jacob's age. He was a joker, and liked to have fun. Jacob thought they might become friends in time. Lastly, he met Quill and Embery. These boys were his age, and Quill was his cousin as well. Jacob had a quick flash of memory of Quill, the two of them fishing with their fathers. Embery smiled at him, and he sensed nothing from either of them but complete acceptance.

His pack, his brothers in arms, he wanted suddenly to belong with them, to really feel like he was a part. He hoped he would in time, but he knew he had other pressing things to attend to first. There was the matter of Bella to deal with, his feelings for Edward, and of course Voltera. He would have to go back at some point, but he sensed he had a little more time.

The pack offered to take him to his childhood home, and Seth and Leah joined them. Everyone fazed and together they began to run, following Sam. For Jacob, it was nothing short of absolute elation. He always loved the freedom he felt when he was in wolf form, and now, running with the pack, he felt even more a part of something.

For Jacob, it was bittersweet. Looking for the first time in all these years at the little house where he grew up, walking again through that front door, he was meeting with more memories, passing like ghosts through his mind. His father sitting at the kitchen table, his mother cooking at the stove, they evaporated into the past as if they'd never been there. He ran his hands over the surfaces in the house, "feeling" for memories, letting them invade his thoughts, letting them fill in the gaps and spaces. A child's drawings, faded by time, hanging on the refrigerator door, toys scattered over the floor of what had obviously been his room, his father's work shirt, still scented after all these years with Old Spice.

Jacob sat for a long time at the kitchen table, just feeling and absorbing all that he could of his past. He needed this more than he had ever realized. All the days of his life at Voltera he had known something was missing, and now that piece was restored. He felt complete again. He was reluctant to leave, but Sam gave him the keys and told him that the house was his. He could come and go as he pleased. He had his past back now, his home, a place that belonged only to him.

He bid farewell to his family later that night, and ran with the pack back to the cliff overlooking the river and Cullen lands. Although they didn't understand why he had to go running back to the enemy, Jacob managed to placate their mistrust with the promise that he would come back to them soon.

He arrived at the Cullen's house just in time to witness an ugly spat between Edward and Bella. She slammed the door and ran down the driveway shouting at Edward that he would be sorry. She jumped into her red truck, and spun gravel as she backed up and sped out of the drive.

Edward stood on the porch alone shaking his head in despair. Jacob sensed his thoughts. Bella was making threats again. Edward had attempted to end his relationship with her, and she hadn't taken it well. It was time to act, time to fix this problem. Jacob knew exactly what to do. In the morning, he would be on a plane back to Voltera, and when he returned to Forks, Bella would be the one who would be sorry.


	9. Chapter 9

Vindico Nos

Chapter Nine

Justicia pro Insons Insontis (Justice for the Innocent)

Midnight over Voltera, the ominous thunderheads rolling in from the bay reflect the mood within the hilltop castle. Two of the revered rulers stand together, reflecting upon the fate of the third. The guilty one waits, with baited breath, for their combined judgment.

Caius knows he has done wrong. He never fathomed that his crimes would be discovered. He rested securely in his belief that Jacob wouldn't disclose their secret. He was mistaken. All the lies and threats he used against the boy had failed to keep him silent. Lies and threats cloaked in the language of love are the deepest forms of betrayal.

Aro stands before Caius, Marcus leans against his throne a few feet away. Aro clears his throat and addresses the cowering vampire at his feet.

"Caius, you know why you have been brought before us, your ruling brethren. I am astounded at this behavior from you! Did we not all pledge to bring up Jacob in a world without pain, without regret? It was our desire that he should be innocent as long as we could keep him so. It should have been his decision when, and with whom he chose to lose it. You took it from him with your tainted lust, and now he is the one who must bear the scars of your sin. You have broken his trust. How will we ever get it back again?"

Caius doesn't answer. He remains, kneeling on the lowest step of the dais, silently watching the other two. Marcus comes forward to stand with Aro.

"Caius, how long would you have struck the boy if I hadn't stopped you when I did? How much of his blood would have had to spill onto the dungeon floor for you to feel absolved? Was it your own guilt you were trying to beat out of his flesh?"

Still, Caius refuses to answer. He won't even look up.

"My brother," Aro begins, "If I truly believed you were penitent, I would absolve you of your sins, but how can I do so when you are still reveling in them? When I look into your soul, I see you replaying over and over in your mind, each and every moment you spent alone with him. I watch every sinful embrace, hear every broken promise. My heart wrenches with each silent plea he sent to your deaf ears! How could you Caius? He is just a boy! He is our son!"

"And now he has gone over to them. He has returned to his own people. He has chosen the Cullen's and their coven. He sleeps within sparse miles of the place where we first found him. He will never come back to us again." Marcus sighs.

Caius jumps up, his fists clenched in rage, his pretty face twisted with the mask of anger, a visual proof of his breaking mind. He faces his accusers.

"He was going to leave anyway. I did what you asked! I told him what he was! That Cullen boy told him the rest! If you want to blame someone, blame Edward! He left to find Edward. I didn't chase him away! Jacob knows what he did was wrong. He will come back to me. I know he will."

Caius slumps down again onto the stairs and covers his face with his hands, his body wracked with sobs. Aro and Marcus stand silently watching him. They do not speak. Aro motions for the guards, Dimitri and Felix, and they move without sound across the marble floor to stand on either side of Caius.

"Caius, I will now pronounce my judgment against you." Aro declares. "We find you guilty of the most heinous crimes against our son. We sentence you to be chained, and whipped in the same manner you punished him. You are henceforth banned from ever speaking to, or looking upon Jacob again, for so long as he lives, and may that be forever."

Caius knows what is in store for him now. Aro has spoken his command. When the guards are finished whipping him, he will have his memories of Jacob erased from his mind. Alexandru will be brought to him. Alexandru will take Jacob away from him. Each precious memory will disappear. Caius will no longer be able to drown in Jacob's beautiful brown eyes ever again. He will never stroke his fingers through his son's hair; never smell the scent of his skin. That life is over. That relationship shattered forever. Gone, like so many dried, brown leaves blowing away into the sea.

Aro turns to Marcus as the guards drag Caius away to the dungeon. They walk in unison toward the window that overlooks the sea. They stand side by side in silent contemplation. Aro searches in vain for some sign, some indication of Jacob's thoughts. Aro sees far, but not that far, and Jacob has always been able to block his thoughts from Aro. Jacob has always been that strong.

"We will send for Alexandru. Alexandru will erase Caius's thoughts. It will be as if he never laid eyes on Jacob. Then we will go and get our son. We will bring him home to us again." Aro stated.

"Aro, you thought it would be good for Jacob to go to the Cullen's and meet his own people. Now you mean to drag him away from all that?" Marcus questions.

"Jacob has had his time to be free, but he is still a boy. He needs to come home where he can be kept safe from himself. He is too volatile now." Aro answers.

"Do you mean to have Alexandru erase Jacob's thoughts as well?" Marcus asks.

"Yes, I mean to do just that." Aro replies. "We will have Alexandru take away the memories of the abuse he suffered at Caius's hands. He will not remember the Cullen's, the Quileute's, or what Caius did to him. It will be as if he is an innocent boy again."

"But what about all that he has learned regarding who and what he is? How will we explain the changes he has gone through? Aro you can't really mean to take away his memories again? You can't keep him a child forever!" Marcus exclaims.

"It's for his own good Marcus, and you know it is. I was wrong to allow him to have interaction with the Cullen's. I was wrong to allow him to run to them. It was a mistake. Alexandru will make him forget it."

"The hell he will!"

Marcus and Aro both turn toward the sound of the deep rolling voice shouting from the direction of the doors to the throne room.

Jacob stands in the center of the double doors scowling. In his right hand, he holds the severed head of the vampire Alexandru.


	10. Chapter 10

Vindico Nos

Chapter Ten

Vestri Nex Est Meus Vita (Your Death is my Life)

Marcus advances slowly toward the angry boy standing in the doorway of the throne room. The ancient one knows Jacob is volatile. He can feel the flux of emotions running through the boy. He understands that what he says at this moment will be critical. But before the old one can speak, Aro asks the obvious.

"Jacob, what have you done? Why did you kill Alexandru?"

Jacob responds by tossing the severed head into the center of the floor, blood spilling across the marble and staining it a gruesome red.

"I knew you would probably try to take away my memories again. I didn't want to lose them. You have no right to such power. You kept it from me because you thought I would abuse it, but you used it as you saw fit. Aro, you are not God! You think you are, but you aren't!" Jacob replies.

"But Jacob, this is murder! It is a crime among vampires to kill your own kind." Marcus sighs as he sinks down onto his throne, his head in his hands.

"Then punish me as you see fit fathers, but he wanted to die. I went to him because I needed his power. When I touched him, and felt it go into me, he silently begged me to end his life. He was tired of being a prisoner here. He was desperately lonely, having for company only the humans that were sent to him for food or some unfortunate vampire whose memories you wanted to take away. What kind of life is that? Besides, I'm not a vampire. He wasn't my kind." Jacob answers.

"So you have Alexandru's power then? May I inquire why it was so important to you to have it?" Aro questions.

"Why ask father? You'll just pick the answer out of my head! Am I not still a guardian for the Volturi? I would imagine you can guess why I want it!" Jacob replies.

"Jacob, are you going to leave us again?" Marcus asks without hope.

"Yes father, I am. There is something I have to do." Jacob says.

"Will you ever come home again? We will miss you. You know we love you." Marcus pleads.

"I know you love me father." Jacob states as he looks up to meet Marcus's eyes.

"Do you think I do not love you Jacob?" Aro asks as a cold smile plays across his stone face.

"I think you believe you love me. But love is not what is in your heart father. You think only of solving the problems you encounter. You don't think of the outcomes of your solutions, or how they might affect others. When you took away my memories, you took away my identity. I was lost for so long. I know who I am now. I have a place to belong, with others like me. I will always be a Volturi guardian. I realize that. But I will also always be a Quileute, and a shape shifter. I am needed there as well. I will come back from time to time, or when you need me, but I will never live here again." Jacob answers.

"I am sorry to hear that my son, I truly am. I had hoped that things could return to normal, but it is obvious that they will not. You aren't going to give me a chance to make things right. I am having Caius punished as we speak. Can't you hear his screams as they whip him? I wanted him to feel what you felt. Isn't that enough for you?" Aro inquires.

"Enough? I don't have tears enough for what he's done to me! It's odd the way a child can get used to the lies and the pain, and believe anything. I guess it's how I coped. But he can't hurt me now. I got away from him. I never thought I would be able to. He can't make me cry. He doesn't have the power anymore, and neither do you." Jacob responds.

"Jacob, we never wanted to hurt you. You kept secret what Caius was doing. If you'd only told us, we would have stopped it." Aro replies.

"No Aro, don't blame Jacob for this. He is innocent in this matter." Marcus interjects.

"Innocent! You two throw that word around like it's a lifestyle choice! Innocence is more than a state of mind and you know it. I haven't been innocent since I was fourteen, and Caius took it from me with his tainted lust. Did you know, he told me he would find a way to change me? He wanted to make me just like him, a thoughtless killing machine. He told me you were trying to find a way to keep me from becoming the wolf Marcus. I'm so glad you didn't. If you had, then I would have hated you too." Jacob seethed.

"Jacob…" Aro began.

"No, this conversation is over! I'm going home. If you try to follow me, I'll kill you. Don't come near me or the Cullen's. I'm warning you fathers, don't interfere." Jacob says, as he turns to go.

"But Jacob, I need to take Caius's memories of you away. It will keep you safe from him whenever you return." Aro pleads.

"I don't need to be kept safe from him. He's broken, and I'm stronger than him. He needs those memories. He deserves to live with what he's done." Jacob answers as he slams the double doors behind him.

Silence descends over the throne room. Marcus remains seated on his throne, his head bowed with grief. Aro stands in the center of the room staring at the severed head of one of his most powerful guards.

"I told you we shouldn't have taken that child. Now things will never be the same." Marcus sighs.

Jacob sleeps on the plane. He dreams of Forks, and of Edward. Faces drift through his unconscious mind, family, friends, and his lover. He sinks into reverie as the plane crosses the vast ocean, and slips through the clouds, taking him home, taking him to Edward.


	11. Chapter 11

Vindico Nos

Chapter Eleven

Norus Orsa Alius Vita (A new beginning of another life)

Edward stands at the window watching the forest in silence. The letter from Jacob lies on the bedside table. Edward understands that Jacob had to return home, but he is startled by how keenly he feels the emptiness now that Jacob is gone. He paces the length of his room, something he has done now for hours. The only sound other than his footsteps is the ticking of the clock on the wall. Each little tick marks the passing of time, for one who is timeless.

Edward is drawn out of his memory by the sound of a vehicle approaching. He knows it is Bella. He would recognize the sound of her dilapidated truck anywhere. Despair comes over him. Why had he ever thought it was a good idea to let her in on his secret? He had believed he loved her. He had been wrong.

Edward walks slowly down the stairs to meet fate. He can't ignore her, to do so would mean the risk of exposing them all. She wouldn't hesitate to tell their secret to everyone. Most people wouldn't believe her, but there would be that one person who would, and that would be all it would take to end everything.

"Edward, I'm so glad you decided to see things my way." Bella gushes as she throws her arms around Edward.

"I knew you weren't yourself when you said you wanted to end it with me. How could you want to? You said I was your lamb. You wrote a lullaby for me and everything. You know I'm your soul mate. It was that stupid Quileute boy's fault. You've been weird since he was here. I'm so glad he's gone. He's not coming back is he?" Bella asks.

"I don't know Bella. He left early this morning. He was gone when I woke up." Edward replies.

"Well, let's not talk about him. I want to talk about prom. Have you got your tux yet? I know, I know, Alice is picking it out. Well, I'm not worried. She always has such good taste in clothes….."

Bella drones on and on about prom, clothes, dancing and whatever else she thinks is important. Edward is barely listening, just nodding his head in agreement at the appropriate times. He tries to make his smile look convincing, but he isn't sure it does. No matter, she's not paying any attention to his body language anyway.

Jacob stands in the lobby of the airport at Seattle. He knows this place well enough by now. He lifts his newly acquired cell phone from his pocket, and dials the number he wants. A young woman's voice answers him. He gives his instructions. She is to meet him at the airport. She is to tell no one that he is here.

The success of his plan depends on complete secrecy. He knows he can depend on Leah. She is kin. She knows what he plans to do, and she is in agreement. He wants to live here now. There can be no threat to that. He wants to start another life.

Leah doesn't understand his desire to remain with the vampires. He took some time to explain it to her when she walked him back home that night after he met his family and the pack. She doesn't agree with his choice, but she does respect it as his right to do so. She accepts him as her alpha despite his insistence that he doesn't want to lead. It will be a gradual change, he knows that. Eventually, they will all expect it. He will deal with that when it happens. For now, he has enough on his mind.

He passes the time as he waits for Leah with thoughts of all that has happened to him in the last few days. So much change for so young a life! He has freed himself from Caius and the overwhelming protectiveness of the Volturi. He knows his family, and who he really is now. But most of all, he knows he loves Edward more than anyone in the world.

He thinks about the time they spent together and a smile plays across his handsome features. Women passing by can't help but notice the pretty Quileute boy. He blushes as he picks up little random thoughts coming from the women. He is surprised at how much he turns on complete strangers. He never considered himself beautiful before. He realizes that his ability to easily seduce anyone he chooses is a power unto itself. He will have to keep that in mind.

Before long, he feels Leah's presence outside, and leaves the airport terminal. He easily finds her driving her father's pick up. He climbs in, and greets her, thanking her for making the trip at such short notice.

"Jacob, are you trying to rack up frequent flier miles or something?" Leah asks.

"No, I just had to go get something I left behind. Don't worry. I'm not going back there for a long time. I'm here to stay. Listen, I need a favor. I have to go to the Cullen's house before I can come home. Would you mind dropping me off there? I know you hate the smell of vampires and all, but I really need to go there first. Do you mind?"

"Yeah sure!" Leah snorts in his direction.

Jacob knows Leah will never bear any love for the vampires, even harmless one's like the Cullen's. She was raised to have no tolerance for them.

Leah stops at the end of the long drive and lets Jacob out. He assures her that he will come see the family tomorrow. She reluctantly drives away, leaving him alone again, but not for long. Jacob cloaks his presence so the Cullen's will not know he is near. He needs to be very careful. No one can be tipped off that he is here. Soon he will make everything better. Soon he will be happy again, and maybe for the first time in his life he will feel completely secure.

Edward and Bella sit together on the side porch overlooking the little creek at the back of the property. Jacob can sense Edward's discomfort. Bella is clinging like an octopus, and blabbering on and on endlessly. Edward wants to run, but he is afraid to.

Jacob creeps up behind the couple. Before Edward can detect his presence, he reaches out, lightning fast, and grabs the back of Bella's neck.

"What the…." She begins, but her voice goes silent, and her face slack, as her mind and memories are laid bare to Jacob.

Welding Alexandru's power, he now controls exactly what she will remember. He wipes all memories of Edward and the Cullen's from her mind. She faints, and Jacob lowers her limp body onto the deck of the porch.

"Jacob, what did you do to her?" Edward gasps.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. I just erased her memory. When she wakes up, she won't remember anything about you or your family. She won't know about vampires. You're safe now." Jacob assures him.

Jacob lifts Bella and carries her down to her truck. He places her in the passenger seat, and climbs in.

"Where are you taking her?" Edward asks.

"I'll take her to the high school, and leave her there. She'll wake up in a minute, and think she just fell asleep. Don't worry. You're not in any danger from her anymore." Jacob answers.

"Won't she remember if she sees me?" Edward asks.

"She won't see you. When she wakes up, she's going to want to go back to Arizona. I put that little thought into her head. I told you, you're safe now. Have faith in me." Jacob winks at Edward as he closes the door to the truck, starts it, and drives away.

Edward stands in the drive completely mesmerized. How is it that he is so lucky to have found Jacob? He hopes Jacob won't be long. He goes back into the house to shower quickly and wait. He doesn't have long to wait.

Jacob leaves Bella in the parking lot of the high school, just as he planned. He slips into the woods, ties his clothes to his leg, and fazes. He covers the miles back to Edward quickly in wolf form. He can see the lights on in the upstairs bedroom and fazes back to his human form. He doesn't bother to get dressed, but leaps up to the balcony and pushed open the sliding glass door to Edward's room.

Jacob listens to the shower running. He fights the desire to go in to the bathroom and join Edward. Instead, he lies back on the bed and pulls the thick cover up over his warm, naked body. He slides his hand slowly down over his chest and stomach and wraps it around his cock. He can feel his body waking up with desire. He loves that feeling of build-up. He wishes it could last forever. He begins to stroke himself, each little sensation amplified by his enhanced abilities.

When Edward comes into the bedroom, he is met with an arousing sight. Jacob looks up, his face flushed with desire. It is obvious to Edward what the movement under the covers signifies.

"You made it back here in a hurry." Edward says with a smile.

"Had a good reason to hurry." Jacob replies.

Edward pulls the covers off and tosses them to the floor. He wants the full frontal view of his sexy wolf boy. He is not disappointed. He sits down on the side of the bed to watch Jacob pleasure himself. Edward finds he cannot watch without participating.

He begins to stroke his fingertips lightly over Jacob's chest and six pack abs. Jacobs's skin is so hot, and slickened with a light coat of sweat it is mouthwatering to Edward. He cannot resist tasting it, and lowers his mouth down to bite at Jacobs nipples, feeling them harden between his teeth.

Jacob continues to stroke himself, reveling in the feeling of Edward biting playfully at him. He wants a little more than Edward's teeth, and he is not afraid to ask for it.

"Go down on me, like you did on the beach that night." Jacob begs with a whisper.

Edward is quick to comply. He knows what Jacob likes, and takes the hard length into his mouth, scraping his razor sharp teeth along its length as he devours it. The drops of blood are like elixir to his vampire senses. Jacob's blood is intoxicating, so much stronger and richer than a normal human's blood. He cannot resist it. He gives Jacob pleasure for only a few minutes, then releases him, and climbs up to sink his teeth into Jacob's exposed neck.

The boy wreaths under him. Vampire venom is painful to a human, but to Jacob, it is a drug. He loves the feeling of euphoria the bite gives him. He feels as if he is flying. He wants it. He needs it. Edward gives him what he wants.

As Edward breaks the bite and comes up for air, he draws his tongue over his lips to get every last drop of that precious blood.

"Are you going to kill me or fuck me?" Jacob asks playfully, looking up at Edward through his long thick lashes.

"I was thinking I owe you one for getting rid of Bella. I figured you would want to fuck me tonight." Edward answers.

"No problem!" Jacob replies, and pushes Edward off of him.

"How do you want me?" Edward asks.

"On your back, looking up at me, wrap your legs around me." Jacob orders, and Edward complies.

"Wait, kiss me first." Jacob pleads.

Edward leans up and grips Jacob's face in his hands. He brings his strong mouth to Jacob's, and they take each other by the tongue, slowly, sensually. Jacob tastes his blood in Edward's mouth, and it awakens the animal in him. He growls against the kiss, and that growl stokes Edward's passion even more keenly.

Edward lies back, pulling Jacob with him down onto the bed. He does as Jacob asked, and wraps his legs around Jacob's waist. Jacob slides easily into him, and they begin to move together in their own shared rhythm, effortlessly. Jacob looks down into Edwards eyes, and Edward looks up at Jacob.

They do not need to speak any words to each other. Thoughts flow like water from one mind to another. Love, desire, lust, need, all these emotions and feelings are conveyed without shame. They are the same soul. They share the same light.

"Vindico Nos Jacob." Edward sighs. "You delivered us."

"Libera me Edward." Jacob answers. "You freed me."

They reach their climax together, and collapse into each other's arms. Night finds them, blissful. They will go forth, together, a new beginning of another life.

Finis

Authors note: Hope you liked it Rat! It was for you. Go to You Tube and listen to the Kenny Loggins song "Meet me Halfway" I wrote this listening to that song. Watch a version with lyrics, not the official video. It sucks!


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